


Moments

by carmenta



Category: Vampire Chronicles - Rice
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-01
Updated: 2004-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-08 02:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/71844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmenta/pseuds/carmenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little 'just so' snippet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moments

"Why?"

"Ragazzo..."

"Why? I am merely curious."

"You can ask her yourself if you want."

That made Armand hesitate for a moment.

"I am sure she will be eager to answer that question," Santino added, just the slightest hint of smugness in his voice.

Armand sighed softly. "I just want to know why she is doing this," he said. "Going off with Lestat? Surely she knows that this is not a wise thing to do..."

Santino raised an eyebrow. "You tried to convince Lestat to take you with him yourself," he pointed out. It was something that had come as a surprise when he had read about it in Lestat's book, and later heard the story from Armand. At this time Armand had still been with the Coven, and Santino wondered what it had been that had made his lover desperate enough to even consider going with the Brat.

Armand waved his hand dismissively. "I was younger then."

"You were three centuries old. I would hardly call that young, ragazzo."

"And yet you still call me ragazzo."

Santino studied the youthful face for any hints as to what was going on in his lover's mind. "Does it bother you? I will stop if that is the case..."

He knew that for Armand it sometimes was difficult to look as young as he did, even though he usually seemed to view it as an advantage. It certainly made some of the other, older vampires unconsciously far more indulgent than they would be when faced with an adult.

Armand shook his head. "No. Not when it comes from you. I know you do not mean to imply anything by it."

But it did not sit well with him if anyone else used the term, Santino thought. It was not something he himself liked either; the endearment was his, and he had no wish to let anyone else share it.

"Not that you are young, at any rate." Santino smiled a little. "Although your behavior could sometimes fool even me."

That comment earned him a scowl, but he could tell that Armand was not upset with him. The younger vampire was still not very used to being teased, but he was starting to become more adept at recognizing it. Pandora had a lot to do with that, Santino knew. She had stayed with them for a while, unable to accept Marius' recent behavior, and her presence had been an interesting influence on Armand.

And it had been an interesting display to watch, too. Santino had often found himself the observer of their arguments, unwilling to side against either his lover or his friend. Pandora had quickly come to adopt Armand as a younger brother of sorts, even though vampires rarely paid heed to the blood ties between them. But of course Pandora rarely cared about the way things were usually done.

Seeing Armand's reactions to her teasing and her arguing had been fascinating for Santino. He had known Pandora long enough to be used to her attitude and her behavior, and so he knew how to interpret her gestures and words. But for Armand it had been new, and the younger vampire had been visibly confused at first by Pandora's bluntness and fondness of teasing. Still, Santino was firmly convinced that it had done his lover good.

"Is she at least going to come to see us again before she leaves?" Armand asked, returning to the topic at hand.

"She did not say." Santino did not voice his suspicion that Pandora might not even consider visiting them. She had a tendency to disappear without telling anyone, and would then be surprised when she received complaints about it. Most of the female vampires in the coven seemed to share this habit; they just did not feel the necessity to let anyone know where they were going and when they might return.

"I will speak to Lestat. I want him to know that if he does anything to harm her, he will have to answer to me."

Santino, who had already warned Lestat of this as soon as he had heard of Pandora's plans, nodded in agreement. Pandora was stronger than he and Armand, but physical strength did not equal mental resilience. It had been painfully obvious only years ago that the world had become a place Pandora could not always handle, and the last thing Santino wanted was to see her withdraw into herself again. He wanted her to stay as vibrant and alive as she was now, and that needed care.

"You could simply tell him that they should come here before they go on their journey," he suggested.

Armand considered this. "We are speaking about Lestat and Pandora here," he finally said. "You know what they are like."

"Ah, yes... better tell them not to come. They are bound to take that as an invitation, just to be contrary."


End file.
